·
21 Albert John Luthuli,
Prophetic Witness in South Africa, 1967
·
22 Saint Mary Magdalene
·
23 John Cassian, Abbot at Marseilles, 433 also known as John the Ascetic and John
Cassian the Roman (Latin: Ioannes Eremita Cassianus, Ioannus
Cassianus, or Ioannes Massiliensis),[2] was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated
in both the Western and Eastern churches for his mystical writings. Cassian is
noted for his role in bringing the ideas and practices of Christian monasticism to the
early medieval West
·
24 Thomas a Kempis,
Priest, 1471 also known as John the Ascetic and John
Cassian the Roman (Latin: Ioannes Eremita Cassianus, Ioannus
Cassianus, or Ioannes Massiliensis),[2] was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated
in both the Western and Eastern churches for his mystical writings. Cassian is
noted for his role in bringing the ideas and practices of Christian monasticism to the
early medieval West.
·
27 William Reed
Huntington, Priest, 1909
·
28 Johann Sebastian Bach,
1750, George Frederick
Handel, 1759, and Henry Purcell, 1695, Composers
OLD TESTAMENT: Amos 8:
1 - 12 (RCL)
Amos 8:1 (NRSV)
This is what the Lord GOD showed me--a basket of summer
fruit. 2 He said,
"A'mos, what do you see?" And I said, "A
basket of summer
fruit." Then the LORD said to me,
"The end has
come upon my people Israel;
I will never again
pass them by.
3 The songs of the
temple shall become wailings in that day,"
says the Lord GOD;
"the dead
bodies shall be many,
cast out in every
place. Be silent!"
4 Hear this, you
that trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin
the poor of the land,
5 saying,
"When will the new moon be over
so that we may
sell grain;
and the sabbath,
so that we may
offer wheat for sale?
We will make the
ephah small and the shekel great,
and practice
deceit with false balances,
6 buying the poor
for silver
and the needy for
a pair of sandals,
and selling the
sweepings of the wheat."
7 The LORD has
sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Surely I will
never forget any of their deeds.
8 Shall not the
land tremble on this account,
and everyone mourn
who lives in it,
and all of it rise
like the Nile,
and be tossed
about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?
9 On that day,
says the Lord GOD,
I will make the
sun go down at noon,
and darken the
earth in broad daylight.
10 I will turn
your feasts into mourning,
and all your songs
into lamentation;
I will bring
sackcloth on all loins,
and baldness on
every head;
I will make it
like the mourning for an only son,
and the end of it
like a bitter day.
11 The time is
surely coming, says the Lord GOD,
when I will send a
famine on the land;
not a famine of
bread, or a thirst for water,
but of hearing the
words of the LORD.
12 They shall
wander from sea to sea,
and from north to
east;
they shall run to
and fro, seeking the word of the LORD,
but they shall not
find it.
Genesis 18: 1 -
10a (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)
Gene 18:1 (NRSV)
The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mam're, as he sat at the entrance
of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing
near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and
bowed down to the ground. 3 He said, "My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.
4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under
the tree. 5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and
after that you may pass on--since you have come to your servant." So they
said, "Do as you have said." 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to
Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead
it, and make cakes." 7 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender
and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 8 Then he
took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them;
and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
9 They said to
him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the
tent." 10 Then one said, "I will surely return to you in due season,
and your wife Sarah shall have a son."
PSALM 52 (RCL)
Psal 52:1 (NRSV)
Why do you boast, O mighty one,
of mischief done
against the godly?
All day long 2 you
are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is
like a sharp razor,
you worker of
treachery.
3 You love evil
more than good,
and lying more
than speaking the truth. [Se'lah]
4 You love all
words that devour,
O deceitful
tongue.
5 But God will
break you down forever;
he will snatch and
tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you
from the land of the living. [Se'lah]
6 The righteous
will see, and fear,
and will laugh at
the evildoer, saying,
7 "See the
one who would not take
refuge in God,
but trusted in
abundant riches,
and sought refuge
in wealth!"
8 But I am like a
green olive tree
in the house of
God.
I trust in the
steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
9 I will thank you
forever,
because of what
you have done.
In the presence of
the faithful
I will proclaim
your name, for it is good.
52 Quid
gloriaris? (ECUSA
BCP)
1 You
tyrant, why do you boast of wickedness *
against
the godly all day long?
2 You
plot ruin;
your tongue is like
a sharpened razor, *
O
worker of deception.
3 You
love evil more than good *
and
lying more than speaking the truth.
4 You
love all words that hurt, *
O you
deceitful tongue.
5 Oh,
that God would demolish you utterly, *
topple
you, and snatch you from your dwelling,
and
root you out of the land of the living!
6 The
righteous shall see and tremble, *
and
they shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “This
is the one who did not take God for a refuge, *
but
trusted in great wealth
and
relied upon wickedness.”
8 But
I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; *
I
trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9 I
will give you thanks for what you have done *
and
declare the goodness of your Name in the presence
of the godly.
Psalm 15 (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 15: 2 - 5 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 15:1 (NRSV) O
LORD, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on
your holy hill?
2 Those who walk
blamelessly, and do what is right,
and speak the
truth from their heart;
3 who do not
slander with their tongue,
and do no evil to
their friends,
nor take up a
reproach against their neighbors;
4 in whose eyes
the wicked are despised,
but who honor
those who fear the LORD;
who stand by their
oath even to their hurt;
5 who do not lend
money at interest,
and do not take a
bribe against the innocent.
Those who do these
things shall never be moved.
15 Domine, quis
habitabit? (ECUSA BCP)
1 Lord,
who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who
may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Whoever
leads a blameless life and does what is right, *
who
speaks the truth from his heart.
3 There
is no guile upon his tongue;
he does no evil to
his friend; *
he
does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.
4 In his
sight the wicked is rejected, *
but
he honors those who fear the Lord.
5 He has
sworn to do no wrong *
and
does not take back his word.
6 He does
not give his money in hope of gain, *
nor
does he take a bribe against the innocent.
7 Whoever
does these things *
shall
never be overthrown.
NEW TESTAMENT:
Colossians 1: 15 - 28 (RCL)
Colossians
1: 24 - 28 (Roman Catholic)
Colo 1:15 (NRSV)
He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16
for in him all things in heaven and on
earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for
him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For
in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was
pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by
making peace through the blood of his cross. 21 And you who were once estranged
and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his fleshly
body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable
before him-- 23 provided that you continue securely established and steadfast
in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you
heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became
a servant of this gospel.
24 I am now
rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what
is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the
church. 25 I became its servant according to God's commission that was given to
me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery that has been
hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his
saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the
riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all
wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Before the founding of the church at Colossae, the people there were “estranged ...” (v. 21). They are now with God, fully acceptable to him (“holy ...”, v. 22), thanks to Jesus’ fully human (“fleshly body”) presence and death, so long as they keep to the truth of the gospel and the “hope” (v. 23) it offers (and shun Greek cults). This gospel is available to all (“to every creature”). Paul extended the reach of Christ’s message; it was complete as he received it. In doing so, he suffered “afflictions” (v. 24). So “completing ... Christ’s afflictions” tells of Paul’s afflictions as extending Christ’s – in no way was Christ’s suffering incomplete. Greek cults limited knowledge of mysteries to initiates, but Christ came to make known God’s “mystery” (v. 26) to all (“Gentiles”, v. 27); it had been “hidden” (v. 26) in Old Testament times. Note “everyone” (three times) in v. 28.
NJBC considers that Colossians was
composed after Paul’s lifetime, about 70-80 AD, by someone who knew the Pauline
tradition. NOAB and CAB discuss the problem of
authorship but do not, in their introductions to the book, state whether they
consider Paul to have been the author or not. See the Clipping below
on 1:26-28 for
a hint of CAB’s view.
1:15-20: This hymn alludes to the wisdom motifs of the
Old Testament and the Apocrypha:
- In Proverbs 3:19,
Wisdom is the agent of creation
- In Proverbs 8:22-31,
Wisdom was generated before God created, and was his
partner in creating (see also Wisdom of Solomon 7:22; 9:2-4).
[ NJBC]
For other Christological hymns, see
Philippians 2:6-11;
Ephesians 2:14-16;
1 Peter 3:18-19;
Hebrews 1:3;
1 Timothy 3:16.
1:15: “image”: The image perfectly reveals the
invisible God: John 1:18 tells
us: “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the
Father's heart, who has made him known”. See also Hebrews 1:3.
[ NOAB] For Paul on humans as
being in the image of God or of Christ, see Romans 8:29;
1 Corinthians 11:7; 15:49 (“Just
as we have borne the image of the man of dust [Adam], we will also bear the
image of the man of heaven”); 2 Corinthians 3:18.
In one place, 2 Corinthians 4:4,
he speaks of Christ as being the image of God. [ NJBC]
1:15: “the firstborn of all creation”: See also
Psalm 89:27 (“I
will make him [David] the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth”);
Proverbs 8:22-31;
2 Corinthians 8:9;
Philippians 2:6-7;
Hebrews 1:2 (“...
in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all
things, through whom he also created the worlds”); 10:5-9;
Revelation 1:17; 2:8; 22:13, 16.
[ CAB]
1:16: “all things ... were created”: John 1:3 says
“All things came into being through him [“the Word”, the Logos], and without
him not one thing came into being”. See also 1 Corinthians 8:6 and
Hebrews 1:2.
[ CAB]
1:16: “thrones ... powers”: At Colossae, angelic
beings may have been thought of as being rivals of, or supplementary to,
Christ. See also 2:10, 15.
[ NOAB] [ NJBC] These are categories of
lesser supernatural beings present in creation. See Romans 8:38;
1 Corinthians 15:24;
Ephesians 1:21; 3:10; 6:12 for
similar lists. [ CAB] NJBC notes that the Greek word
here translated as “dominions” also appears in 1 Peter 3:22 (NRSV:
“authorities”) and Jude 8;
in those verses it refer to earthly powers. Only here in the New Testament is
“thrones” a category of angelic beings.
1:17: “before all things”: Note John 8:58:
“Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am’”. The
phrase may mean first in rank.
1:17: “all things hold together”: Wisdom of
Solomon 1:7 says
“Because the spirit of the Lord has filled the world, and that which holds all
things together knows what is said,”. [ JBC]
See also Hebrews 1:3.
[ NOAB]
1:18: “head of the body, the church”: Christ as head
of the church is important in Colossians: see also 2:17, 19; 3:15.
The community as the body is also found in the undisputably Pauline writings
(see 1 Corinthians 6:15; 10:16-17; 12:12-27;
Romans 12:4-5)
but the image of Christ as head of the body is a development found only in
Colossians and Ephesians (see also Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:15-16; 5:23).
[ NOAB] [ NJBC]
1:18: “the beginning”: i.e. the origin or source of
the Church’s life. See also Revelation 3:14 (“...
The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God's
creation”); Galatians 6:15 (“...
a new creation is everything!”); 2 Corinthians 5:17.
[ NOAB] [ JBC]
1:18: “firstborn from the dead”: See also Acts 26:23 (“being
the first to rise from the dead”, Paul before Agrippa); Romans 14:9;
1 Corinthians 15:20 (“...
Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have
died”). [NOAB] [ NJBC] Christ’s resurrection is
the first of a succession of others: see Revelation 1:5.
[ CAB]
1:19: “the fullness of God”: Another translation
is: For it pleased God that in him [the Son] all the fullness of the
deity should dwell . “Fullness” translates the Greek word pleroma.
The pleroma would have had special significance if gnostic ideas formed part of the
false teaching at Colossae. In Gnosticism,
the pleroma was the whole body of heavenly powers and
spiritual emanations that came forth from God. [ NOAB] [ NJBC] In this context, as can be
seen from v. 20,
the term “fullness of God” refers to the full power of divine grace which
offers full reconciliation through Christ’s cross. John 1:16 tells
us: “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace”. See also
Colossians 2:10.
[ CAB] NJBC notes that “of God” is not in
the Greek., but note 2:9:
“in him [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily”.
1:20: “reconcile”: The Greek word is apokatallasso;
it is used only in Colossians and Ephesians. In the undisputedly Pauline
writings, the word katallasso is used, with the same meaning:
see Romans 5:10;
2 Corinthians 5:18, 19.
[NJBC] Prevalent Jewish belief was
that the world had fallen into the captivity of the ruling powers through the
sin of humans. Christ overcame these angelic powers by taking away their
control over believers. [ JBC]
1:22: “his fleshly body”: In 2:11,
the author speaks of Baptism as “putting off the body of the flesh in the
circumcision of Christ. His ordinary human body or bodily-ness (see
1QpHab (*Qumran Pesher on
Habakkuk) 9:2) as against the deprecation of the body, which was perhaps taught
at Colossae (see 2:18, 21, 23).
Colossians stresses the importance and dignity of Jesus’ human body in its
saving function. [ NJBC]
1:22: holy and blameless”: Ephesians 1:4 says
“just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy
and blameless before him in love”. [ CAB]
1:24-2:7: Paul is personally unknown at Colossae. These
verses explain why he (or the author) intervenes in the affairs of a church
where members do not know him: in 2:1,
he writes: “For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for
those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face”. [ NOAB]
1:24: Because of the mystical union of the believers
with Christ, what Paul suffers “for the sake of ... the church” can be called
“Christ’s afflictions”. In 2 Corinthians 1:5,
Paul writes “For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also
our consolation is abundant through Christ” and in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10:
“We are afflicted ... always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that
the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies”. [ NOAB] Elsewhere Paul connects his
sufferings to his role as an apostle (see Romans 8:30-31;
1 Corinthians 4:9-13;
2 Corinthians 11:23-33; 12:9-10; 13:4;
Galatians 6:17),
but only here are his sufferings for the sake of the Church. Elsewhere he
speaks of his sufferings as participation in the death of Jesus (see 2
Corinthians 1:4-6; 4:8-10),
but only here do his sufferings complete “what is lacking in Christ’s
afflictions”. [ CAB]
Comments: in no way was Christ’s suffering
incomplete: The hymn (vv. 15-20)
proclaims Christ as the one through whom all are reconciled; v. 22 restates
this. See also the Clipping on thlipsis below.
[ NJBC]
1:24: “afflictions”: The Greek word is thlipsis.
It is never used of Jesus’ passion but is regularly used of those proclaiming
the gospel: see Romans 5:3 (NRSV:
“sufferings”); 8:35 (NRSV:
“hardship”); 2 Corinthians 1:4, 8; 2:4(NRSV:
“distress”); 4:17; 6:4; 7:4.
This suggests that the afflictions are Paul’s not Christ’s. Similarly, in 2:11 (“In
him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the
body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ”), the “circumcision of Christ”
is not Jesus’ circumcision but the metaphorical circumcision of the Christian
community. [ NJBC]
1:25: “servant”: Literally, minister. [ CAB] The Greek word is diakonos,
sometimes translated deacon. The NRSV translates this noun as servants in
1 Corinthians 3:5.
1:26-28: A common theme developed in the literature of
Paul’s students is that the mystery long hidden is now revealed to the nations
by the command of God: see also Romans 16:25-26;
Ephesians 3:3-10;
1 Timothy 3:16;
2 Timothy 1:9;
Titus 1:2-3;
1 Peter 1:20.
[ CAB]
1:26: “mystery”: For God’s age-long purpose, his
plan of salvation, hidden in Old Testament times from ordinary people, is now
being revealed openly to Gentiles as well as Jews, see also 2:2; 4:3;
Ephesians 1:9; 3:4-6.
In the Qumran
literature, the raz is the mystery revealed by God to
certain persons, e.g. to the Teacher of Righteousness: see 1QpHab (Qumran
Pesher on Habakkuk) 7:1-5. In the Old Testament, prophets were introduced in
their visions into the heavenly assembly and there learnt the secret divine
plans for history. [ NOAB] [ NJBC] “Mystery” is the content of
the “word of God” (v. 25)
that was given Paul to proclaim; but in 2:2-3 we
read “I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may
have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's
mystery, that is, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge.” [ CAB]
1:27: In Romans 1:5,
Paul writes of Christ as the one “through whom we have received grace and apostleship
to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of
his name”. See also Romans 16:26.
[ CAB]
1:27: “Christ in you”: Here it is the risen Christ
who performs the functions attributed to the Holy Spirit in other epistles. [ JBC]
1:28: In 1 Corinthians 1:6,
Paul writes as maturing in the faith as “the testimony of Christ [being] ...
strengthened among you”. [ CAB]
1:28: “warning everyone and teaching everyone”: Here
this is the task of the apostle but in 3:16 it
is the responsibility of members of the community to admonish and teach each
other. [ NJBC]
2:1: “Laodicea”: A town about 18 Km (12 miles) west
of Colossae. It is also mentioned in 4:13, 15-16;
Revelation 1:11; 3:14-22.
[ CAB]
2:1: “who have not seen me face to face”: Evidently
Paul had visited neither Laodicea nor Colossae. See also 2:5.
In Romans 15:20,
Paul says that his emphasis is on establishing Christian communities rather
than on building on what other missionaries have already established. In
Galatians 1:22,
he says that he was, at the time, “unknown by sight” to the Christian
communities in Palestine. [ CAB]
GOSPEL: Luke 10: 38 -
42 (all)
Luke 10:38 (NRSV)
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman
named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who
sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was
distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not
care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to
help me." 41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are
worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary
has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
Luke emphasizes that
Christ came for all: all sectors of society, all peoples, and both sexes.
Samaritans, despised by Jews, are welcome in the Kingdom. Jesus has told
the seventy that proclaiming his message demands unswerving
commitment. The lawyer has learnt that his love should be for everyone; if it
is, he has eternal life.
Now Jesus crosses Jewish
cultural bounds:
·
he is alone with women who are not his relatives;
·
a woman serves him; and
·
he teaches a woman in her own house.
To sit at someone’s feet
(v. 39)
was to be his disciple. Mary is Jesus’ disciple. Martha, while devoted to her
home, is “distracted” (v. 40)
by busy-ness. The “only ... thing” (v. 42)
that is really needed is to listen to Jesus’ message and proclaim it. This is
the task that Mary has chosen; her role is exemplary. Jesus values Martha’s
role, but Mary’s is “better”. (The wording of v. 42a varies
among early manuscripts. The differences change the interpretation.)
© 1996-2019
Chris Haslam
In John 11:1,
Martha and Mary are well known; John says that Bethany “is the village of Mary
and her sister Martha”. Luke is more cautious in introducing them and shows his
limited knowledge of Palestinian geography by not naming the village. [ NOAB]
Verse 38: “into her home”: While this passage is unique
to Luke, he does edit what he received from Mark and Q. He has added 28 references to “home” or
“house”. 8:27 and 14:23 contain
examples. Household Christianity is in view; women host the Church in their
houses. [ NJBC]
Verse 39: “sat at the Lord's feet”: See also 8:35 (the
Gerasene demoniac at Jesus’ feet) and Acts 22:3 (Paul
at the feet of Gamaliel). [ NJBC]
Verses 40-42: BlkLk offers
the following rather different translation:
But
Martha was distracted with all the housework and stood by them and said, ‘Lord,
don't you care that my sister has left me to do the housework alone? Tell her
then to give me some help!’ In answer the Lord said to her, ‘Martha, Martha,
you are anxious and make a fuss about a lot of things, but our need is for few
things – or one! For Mary has chosen the best dish, and it will not be taken
away from her.’
Verse 40: “tasks”: The Greek word is diakonein.
This word became a technical term for Christian ministry, as it is in 2
Corinthians 4:1 (NRSV:
“ministry”) and Romans 16:1 (NRSV:
“deacon”). As happens so often in Luke’s stories of Jesus’ table fellowship,
Jesus, the guest, become the dominant figure, or host, and answers questions
about community life: see also 5:29-39; 7:36-50; 11:37-54; 14:1-24; 19:1-10; 24:13-35.
[ NJBC]
Verse 41: “by many things”: Martha is distracted “by
many things” which are not important enough to call for excessive attention or
worry. [ NOAB]
Verse 42: With delicate ambiguity, Jesus rebukes
Martha’s choice of values; a simple meal (one dish) is sufficient for
hospitality. Jesus approves of Mary’s preference for listening to his teaching
(thereby accepting a woman as a disciple) as contrasted with Martha’s unneeded
acts of hospitality (the more usual woman’s role). [ NOAB]
Verse 42: “there is need of only one thing”: In other
manuscripts this is translated as (1) only a few things are needed,
indeed only one and (2) only a few things are needed. (2)
seems to indicate that only a few things on the dinner table are needed, while
(1) combines this interpretation with that given in Comments. BlkLk says that Jesus begins by
protesting that only a few things are wanted for the meal, and he adds as an
afterthought that apparently only one thing is needed, his teaching, since Mary
is so taken up with it that she does not want anything (else) to eat.
CAB says that these sisters
represent two possible priorities for Jesus’ followers: service, or listening
to his teaching. The latter is the “better part”.
© 1996-2019
Chris Haslam
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